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New scrutiny for Avs’ Kadri after collision with Binnington

New scrutiny for Avs’ Kadri after collision with Binnington

DENVER (AP) That water bottle tossed toward Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri hardly came out of nowhere.

For two straight postseasons, Kadri has been the agitator that makes Colorado go and the pest that drives the St. Louis Blues crazy.

In Saturday night’s 5-2 victory, Kadri’s collision with Blues defenseman Calle Rosen ended with him in the lap of St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington, who left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury and is now out of the playoffs.

Binnington was the most likely candidate among those who might have pitched a water bottle in Kadri’s direction while he was doing an on-camera postgame interview.

The controversial collision, the water bottle, the series-ending injury to Binnington – all of it comes almost exactly 52 weeks after Kadri’s hit on Justin Faulk, who missed the rest of that playoff series and resulted in an eight-game suspension for Kadri.

There’s no love lost in St. Louis for Kadri.

“Look at Kadri’s reputation,” said Blues coach Craig Berube, whose team trails the second-round series 2-1. “That’s all I’ve got to say.”

The Blues were turning the page Sunday after learning Binnington was done for the series and goaltender Charlie Lindgren was recalled from the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL “under emergency conditions.” Ville Husso stepped in after Binnington left.

“You don’t focus on just him,” Blues center Brayden Schenn said of Kadri. “You focus on going out there and winning a hockey game. That’s all you can control.”

Kadri has been on his best behavior all season and into the playoffs. Maybe even to the point of shying away from plays that might land him in trouble given his past.

“Listen, reputation, it doesn’t mean anything: It’s either a legal play or it’s not,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, whose team lost defenseman Samuel Girard (broken sternum) for the playoffs on a check from Ivan Barbashev into the boards. “We’ve talked about this with…

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